I have to go back to work in Sept. and I wanted to start with 1 morning bottle a day- she will get about 3 while I'm at work.

She isn't refusing it, but only eating abou 1 oz. She never was a big morning eater.

My question is can I give the bottle?? Will that be too confusing or can I try it.

My dh did it this weekend (we started on Sat.) but during the week it is too hectic with his work schedule and I prefer dd to have the a.m. bottle. I like feeding her in the p.m. and I'm always home by 2:30 from work so a.m. is the best practice time for bottles.

From my experience as long as you have a well established milk supply (usually 3-4 weeks after birth) introducing a bottle should be alright. There is still a chance your baby will prefer the bottle of the breast because drinking from a bottle is easier, and you may need to pump a few times at work to keep up your milk supply.

One reason she could stop drinking after 1oz is because bottle-babies tend to have more gas. Another could be that she just doesn't like that particular bottle. Have you tried other brands? I've had good experiences with the Playtex drop in bottles when I breastfed my daughter. I've also heard good things about the Avent drop-ins and I've also stocked up on Soothies bottles just because I had coupons.

Are you pumping breastmilk for the bottle or supplementing with formula?

July 29th, 2007, 08:59 AM

@llli*anne.ferguson

Re: bottle question

Also keep in mind that babies that age don't really eat that much. Studies have shown that babies 1-6 months eat about 25 ounces per day. So if they eat 8 times per day (every 3 hours around the clock) then that's only about 3 ounces per feeding. If your baby eats every two hours (like mine did) then they are probably only taking about 2 ounces per feeding. So 1 ounce is a fairly small amount but I just wanted to make sure you didn't feel like you needed her taking 4 ounces or something like that. Good luck!

July 29th, 2007, 05:30 PM

lrosen8750

Re: bottle question

thanks!!

Actually, I want to know if I, physically , can give the bottle versus another person.

July 29th, 2007, 07:36 PM

@llli*tippee

Re: bottle question

I would say you could IF your baby will take it from you! The baby knows your voice AND your smell and will probably want "the real" thing from you!! ;) You could try giving the baby a bottle, but it would probably be best to let someone else try it first!

July 29th, 2007, 11:17 PM

cantabile21

Re: bottle question

You could try, but from my own experience, you wouldn't feel all that good, which is something you'll need to get used to. i prefer to get my mum or my hubby or even my brother to give baby the bottle instead of doing it myself. He did reject it from me once, but besides that i just don't like the feeling of giving him my milk via bottle. i mean, it's like putting a barrier between us! :D

July 30th, 2007, 11:24 AM

mimo

Re: bottle question

My LO learned how to latch using First Year's Breastflow bottle and I can easily switch back and forth now between breast and bottle if I desire it, even though she was exclusively bottlefed the first month (exclusive pumper).